A - Poured a mahogany color with a brown head that leaves lacing behind

S - Is of roasted malt that gives off chocolate scents

T - Starts off with the roasted malt with chocolate then some dark fruit flavors come out and finishes with some alcohol

M - This beer has a smooth fuller body with lighter carbonation to it

D - I'm enjoying this beer quite a bit and thats saying a lot as this generally isn't a style I go crazy for it has an enjoyable taste with a great body this one is worth picking up if you see it around (579 characters)

Pours out brown and settles into the glass near black in color. When held to the light it is a nice mahogany color with some deep cherry highlights. Head is initially about a finger high and off white in color. Settles to a very thin spotty layer. No lacing is present on the glass but head does stay around for the session.

Slight chocolate upon the first few whiffs. Next I get mostly port and finished with a bit of raisins. Roast in the smell here and there as well.

The roast and raisins that were present in the nose really come out in the taste for me. However, the port never seems to materialize for me even though I got it a lot in the smell. I was really hoping the port would be more present. Oh well. No alcohol taste to this one which is nice. As it warms up, the beer finishes very nicely with some chocolate.

Decent carbonation leading to a bit thinner feel then I was expecting. Still, it goes down very smooth and finishes nicely.

Overall I enjoyed this. I'm going to most likely get another bottle or two and see if perhaps the port will come out with some time. I don't think this would hold up for the whole duration of the horizontal Karl Strauss will do with their holiday beers. (1,244 characters)

Thanks to Exiled for sharing this bottle. My first beer from Karl Strauss.

The beer pours a brown color with a tan head. The aroma is a very nice mix of roasted malt and chocolate, as well as some oaked notes. The flavor is more of the same, with a few added additions. I get a lot of chocolate and roasted malt notes - as you expect in a porter - but I also get some oak and dark fruit notes. The fruit is very wine-like and really adds to the flavor. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. A great beer with a great name. Definitely a beer to try if you get the chance. (574 characters)

Sweet roast malt, chocolate, light berry/plum esters, and a touch of hops in the nose. No oxidative notes.

Tart/sweet cereal-like palate entry followed by jammy fruit notes (from the port), a hint of coconut and weak vanilla perhaps. Earthy grassy hops and plenty of roast malt suggesting brown bread and Lithuanian rye into the faintly spicy finish. Vague leather notes from the port barrel as the beer warms. Finishes dry at first, but with a lingering sweetness.

Medium-bodied, moderately carbonated, and smooth.

Lacks the depth of malt assault the better examples yield, but the port barrel aging is a subtle and distinctive touch that elevates this beer out of the everyday. (897 characters)

I had been looking for this bottle every since I saw the thread on the forums here about it, since it sounded intriguing. Have not been a huge Karl Straus fan (though I have had most of their offerings) but have been enjoying their special beer releases this year. Also enjoy porters as a style, so I was pleased to find this one.

Poured from the bottle (bomber) into my Bruery tulip. (Which I use for all my home tastings, ironic in a way since they have the Partridge in a Pear tree, but I digress)

Pours a Deep brown (almost black until you hold it up to the light). A off white head rises a good inch or more, with good head retention. Aroma's are of port, or light cherry, followed with chocolate & I get a bit hint of figs & vanilla, but very little hops.

Taste is more potent, but follows what the aroma's suggest. Figs, chocolate, vanilla, cherry, a hint of wood. With only two months ( or so I recall) of aging in the port barrels, the taste is present, but not overwhelming, which can happen in some -bal aged beers. I'm really enjoying this one.

The mouth feel is smooth, but not heavy, and the carbonation is consistent throughout.

Overall, a balanced Baltic Porter, with a nice finish of port (which I also enjoy) Thus far, it is my favorite Karl Strauss beer. (1,284 characters)

Pleasantly surprised by this one. I tasted it in the bottle first and it seemed a little flat but I'm glad we put it on tap. Deep brown in color. Looks a little more like a strong ale than a baltic porter.Plenty of aroma coming from the off white head. Has plenty of lacing and the booze is noticeable from the drying on the glass. The sweetness is not overpowering and a great surprise from a beer that you'd expect to be really hot from the smell. I would suggest this one on tap instead of the bottle. (504 characters)

Came across this bottle and decided to give it a try as I have been impressed with several of Karl's beers lately. Poured the 22 oz bomber into my Bruery tulip glass. The pour was a very dark brown with a couple inches of soft tan head that is retained for a couple of minutes. When I was pouring the beer, even before directly smelling the beer I could pick up some sweet amber malts. When I followed this up with an actual sniff the beer smelled quite light, with some light malts and some chocolate flavors.

The taste however was much deeper than the smell. The malts are much more obvious than on the nose, with some dark fruit and chocolaty notes and a nice slightly hoppy finish with a taste of vanilla. I have to admit I was hoping for a little more woody port flavors from this. I am not sure if it needed more time in the barrels or just a higher portion of aged beer in the blend, but still a very tasty beer.

The mouthfeel is quite decent for a non bottle conditioned beer, with adequate carbonation that keeps it nicely balanced. Overall a very tasty beer and I would recommend it to a friend. Not necessarily my favorite Karl Strauss beer, but a very solid Baltic Porter. (1,187 characters)

Taste: A lot is going on here. Boasts a complex mixture of dark fruits, roasted coffee like flavors (minus the astringency), touch of chocolate, oakiness from the barrel aging? Wonderful mixture for a winter warmer.

Mouthfeel: Nice and smooth. The abv is just right for a Baltic porter. Just the right kick to bring on that nice winterCoat we all seek from a good winter warmer.

I picked this up from KnB cellars the other day. The packaging looked sharp and the copy made the beer sound incredible.

A: Pours deep dark brown with an espresso-like head that dissipates quickly.

S: Aroma is almost entirely chocolate and dark fruits. I didn't get much espresso and the oak is very subtle.

T: Much like the aroma, the flavor is primarily chocolate and dark fruits (plums, raisins). There is a very subtle port flavor that comes through in the finish. I'd like to see more of a port character.

M: Medium with a velvety texture. Not as heavy as I expected.

D: Overall this s a nice beer, I'm glad I picked up a few extras. (649 characters)

Had this bottle tonight. The beer is ebony in color, with a nice mocha colored head. The beer smells of light chocolate and sweet coffee aromas, it has a small amount of alcohol and a very faint vinous/dark fuit aroma as well. I was hoping this beer had a much larger barrel/port aroma. The beer has a nice toastiness, chocolate, some light dark fruit/vinous flavors. There is some alcohol warmth on the finish as well. It is slightly sweet but not cloying at all. There isn't really any roast flavors, but the chocolate-like flavors fill that void. The best part of this beers flavor is in the finish when all the flavors express themselves. Again, disappointed that there isn't more port/barrel flavor. The mouthfeel is a little light, but it is also easy to drink. This is a nice winter beer and is a great beer to share with a friend.

If they up the roast malt a little and let the port show greater, this could be a really good beer, it's just missing a few things. (972 characters)

Wow can't believe that I'm the first to review this beer. On paper this looked like a great new beer for the holidays. Sadly, it was far from great. The baltic porter was more like a black pale ale with the port adding little. As it warms it did not get any better - still very thin and strangely sweet. Other brewers should try this combo and see if it works but this one does not. I paid 8 bucks and that was plenty. (418 characters)